Close up
Apteryx spp.
Hey explorers! Get ready to meet one of the coolest, most mysterious birds on Earth – the amazing kiwi from New Zealand! Imagine a bird that can't fly, has tiny hidden wings, and looks like a fluffy brown ball of shaggy hair. That's our kiwi! But here's its super-duper superpower: it has a super-long, super-sensitive beak with nostrils right at the tip. It's the *only* bird in the whole wide world that can sniff out its dinner hiding deep underground. How cool is that?!
When the sun goes down and most creatures are heading to bed, the kiwi is just waking up! This night-time ninja uses its incredible nose like a special metal detector, tapping and snuffling along the forest floor. *Sniff, sniff!* With its powerful legs, it waddles through the darkness, digging up tasty earthworms, grubs, and bugs with its amazing beak. Then, if you're lucky, you might even hear its loud, piercing 'ki-wi' call echo through the quiet night.
The kiwi isn't just a quirky bird; it's a real-life superhero for its forest home! It helps keep the soil healthy by digging around and even helps control buggy populations. It's so special that it's the national symbol of New Zealand, and it's like a living fossil, showing us what ancient birds might have been like. But these precious birds need our help because they're in danger. Protecting the kiwi means protecting a truly unique piece of our planet's amazing wildlife!
How many are left?
Have a guess first — how many do you think are still alive?
about 68,000
each dot ≈ 1,000 individuals
Imagine if only about 68,000 people lived in your entire country – that's roughly how many kiwis are left in the whole world, making them an endangered species that really needs our help!
Imagine tiny, fluffy kiwi chicks trying to hide on the forest floor. But new animals like stoats and cats, which weren't originally from New Zealand, are very good hunters and can easily find and hurt these little kiwis or their eggs.
Being done about itBrave rangers and volunteers are setting up special traps to catch these tricky predators, and they also build safe, fenced-off areas where kiwis can live without fear.
Kiwis need big, healthy forests with lots of trees and plants to find food and safe places to sleep during the day. But sometimes, people cut down these forests to make farms or build houses, leaving the kiwis without a home.
Being done about itPeople are working hard to plant new trees and protect the remaining forests so kiwis have plenty of space to live and grow. Some kiwis are even moved to special, safe islands where their forest homes are protected.
Superheroes of conservation are working hard to protect kiwis by removing sneaky predators like stoats and possums from their homes, and even raising baby kiwis in safe sanctuaries until they're big and strong enough to go back to the wild!
